Radiant heater unit



sept. 29, 192s. 1.555,2 7o

l o. A. coLBY RADIANT HEATER nun Filed un! 12, 1923 FES. 1.

wlTNssEs:

INVENTOR Ora A. Colby. 37'- BY ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORA A. COLBY, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC` & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RADIANT HEATER UNIT.

Application led May 12, 1923. Serial No. 638,488.

To @ZZ 107mm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ORA A. COLBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Irwin, in the county of lVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Radiant Heater Units, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical heating devices and particularly to electric air heaters.

One object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple, compact electric air heater that may be easily assembled and disassembled.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric air heater comprising a plurality of independent heating units.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric air heater comprising a plurality of vertical skeleton frames for supporting a plurality of radiant heating elements.

In practicing my invention, I provide a casing having an opening in the front portion thereof and locate in said casing back of said opening, a reflector plate of refractory material. I provide a plurality of vertically extending` skeleton frames, of refractory electric-insulating material, located in adjacent relation relatively to each other in the casing in front of said reflector plate and mount in each frame a helically-wound resistor member.

I provide means for supporting the skele` ton frames and a suitable control switch located outside of the casing.

In the single she-et of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in front elevation, of an electric air heater embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a View, in vertical lateral section therethrough, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view, in front elevation, of a skeleton frame embodying my invention,

Fig. 4 is a view, in side elevation, of the member illustrated in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the member illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and

Fig. 6 is a partial view ofa modilied form of terminal construction for a skeleton frame embodying my invention.

An electric air heater 11 comprises a casing 12 that may be of any suitable or desired conteur and dimensions and is here illustrated as being substantially rectangular in outline. The casing 12 may comprise any suitable or desired construction embodying metal sides, back and bottom members located on a supporting` structure 13 that is provided with suitable supporting members 14. A `top member 15 is provided and is of such form as'to harmonize with the other parts o the casing and of the supporting structure to provide an electrical heater casing of pleasing form and outline.

A front portion 16 of the casing is provided with a depressed part 17 and an openn ing- 18 therein. A protecting skeleton frame or grating 19 is located in front of the opening 18 and it comprises a plurality of later ally and of longitudinally extending wires or bars suitably secured together. The vertically extending bars may t'loosely into suitable openings 21 at the top part of the depressed portion 17 and the bottom ends of these bars may lit loosely into the openings 22 in the bottom part of the depressed portion 17 to hold the grate 19 in its proper operative position in front of the opening 18.

A horizontally extending bar 23 is secured to the vertically extending bars to limit the downward movement of the grating in the openings 21 and 22, it being understood that the upper ends of the vertically extending bars are first placed in the openings 21 and the assembled grating then moved into position by a lateral and a tilting movement thereof.

A reflector' material, is located within the casing back of the opening 18 and is supported by a horizontally extending bar 25 of a suitable refractory electric-insulating material that is supported in the casing in substantially the position illustrated in F ig. 2 of the drawing by any suitable or desired means (not shown).

A plurality of refractory skeleton frames 26, of electric-insulating material, are located in closely adjacent or in `spaced relation, relatively to each other, in the casing in front of the plate 211 and back of the opening 1S and they have their lower ends extending into, and litting within, spaced openings 27 provided in the upper surface of the member 25. Each of the members 2G comprises a frame of substantially H- section, the central web thereof extending plate 241, of suitable refractory angularly relatively to the side flanges thereof, so that the rear part of the two spaced flanges is shallower at the top end than at the bottom end, as may be noted partieularlylby reference to Fig. tof the drawing. A ,plurality of bridges 28, of arcuate form, extend in spaced pairs from the side flanges to lugs 29 located intermediate the side flanges on the front of the central web of the members 26, substantially as illustratedin Fig. 3 of the drawing.

Openings 3l are provided beneath those ends of the bridges v225 connecting the same to the side flanges, to pe-rmit of the easy manufacture of the skeleton fr ames. An integral bottom portion 32 is provided for eaclnof the skeleton frames 26 and a flattened top portion 33 is provided to permit of ,holding the upper end of the respective framesi2t in their proper operative positions withinthe casing l2, a `bar 3e being provided within the casing l2, the rear surface of .which Vmay be engaged by the front surface of theportions 3?, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

A radiant heating element is provided for eachof the skeleton frames 26 and it comprises a helically wound resistor member 35 that `is located yinthe skeleton frame in operative engagement with the front surface ofthe central web and also in operative engagement with theinner face of the side flanges thereof, substantially `as illustrated in Fig. l ofthe drawing. The resistor member '235 is, therefore, located underneath the bridges 28 of arcuate form and it extends from the bottom of the frame to the top portion on the one side of the integral lugs 29, and then lback down -to thebottom ofthe frame on the other side of the lugs 29, whereby a substantially imbedded resistor is obtained that .is vprotected against accidental contact with an adjacent resistor by integral portions of the co-operating enclosing skeleton frame. The ends of the resistor members ,35 extending backwardly through suitable openings in the,central web Yand then through suitable vertical openings 37 in the. bottom portion 82.

A means Vfor permitting the selective energization of the heating units .constituted by `the respective skeleton frames 26 and the resistor v.member respectively associated therewith, may comprise a pair of bus bars 88 that are located in proper operative spaced relation relatively to each other, by `being suitably secured against blocks 39, of refractory electric insulating' material, at vthe ends thereof. The distance between the outer surfaces ofthe blocks 39 is such as `to Lpermit the structure being located iwithin the casing l2, substantially as illustrated in Fig. l of the drawing.

lAn opening il is provided in one of the side portions of the casing l2, through which the structure comprising the two bus bars 38 and the two blocks 35) may be inserted and removed, as required. A block 42 of a suitable refractory electric-insulating material may alsobe .suitably secured against one of the blocks-S) and may be of such dimensions as to cover the opening Lll andbe secured against the side of the casing by arplurality of screws e3, A control switch Ll-l may be mounted on the outside of the block 4t2 Aand may be of any suitable or desired type topermit of selective energization of the heating elements ,hereinbefore described.

vThe ends of theresistor member are suitably .secured to the bus'bars 38 by ma.- chine screws 45. "Terminal pins Vle-are provided on the block '4t2 to permit of connecting ythereto the ends of a suitable supply circuit conductor, (not shown) in any manner usually employed in the art.

Should it become necessary to renew the resistor member 35 in any one or all ofthe skeleton frames 26, the ends 4of the resistor members maybe disconnected 'from the bus bars 38 by suitable tools, .an opening 47 being provided in therearpart of the casing to permit of access thereto.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified iform of `terminal construction yfor l,the individual -heating units. vSuitable terminal members 4S of .bar Yform and of ldifferent lengths, are secured to the 'bottom portion 32 of the skeleton frames 26, as by screws 49 and these terminal members lare of such length that they can be directlyonnected to the bus bars 38 in case it is considered `necessary or desirable, to provide such relatively heavy terminalmembers. The openings 2,7 are, ofcourse,,modilied'to permit of properly receiving the ends 32 and the bar terminals, the latter projecting through `the support y25.

rlhe device embodying my invention thus provides a plurality of skeleton ,frames supporting a resistor member that'becomes incandescent when traversed by a normal current and thus simulates `the operation and looks of the usual gas heated radiant stove. The individual heating elements may be quickly inserted in or quickly removed from the casing, relatively few operations only being Vnecessary to effect such changes.

'Various changes in detail and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope Vof the invention, and suoli modifications :are intended to be covered bythe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an electric ,-heater, in combination, an elongated, refractory, resistor-supporting member comprisinga skeleton frame of substantially H-section, and integral, spaced members on one side of said frame intermediate t-he side flanges thereof, anda resister member extending between said flanges and said intermediate members.

2. In an electric heater, in combination, an elongated, refractory, resistor-supporting member comprising a skeleton frame of substantially H-shape in lateral section, integral spaced lugs on one side of said frame intermediate the side flanges thereof and bridges, of arcuate form connecting said lugs and the side lianges at spaced points, and a helical resistor member eX- tending between said fianges and said intermediate lugs and under said bridges.

3. In an electric heater, in combination, an elongated refractory, resistor-supporting member eomprisinga skeleton frame of sub stantially H-shaped in lateral section, a plurality of integral, spaced, lugs on one side of said frame extending longitudinally intermediate the side flanges thereof, and bridges of arcuate form extending in pairs from said lugs to the side flanges at points intermediate said lugs, and a resistor meniber extending between said flanges and said lugs and under said bridges.

4. In an electric heater, in combination, an elongated refractory, resistor-supporting member comprising a skeleton frame of substantially H-shape in lateral section, a plurality of integral, spaced, lugs on one side of said frame extending longitudinally intermediate the side flanges thereof, bridges of arcuate form extending in pairs from said lugs to the side flanges at points intermediate said lugs, and a contact-ter minal-supporting member at the lower end of said skeleton frame, a resistor member extending between said flanges and said lugs and under said bridges, and contact terminals secured to said contact-terminalsupporting member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of May 1923.

ORA A. COLBY. 

